


Blurring the Lines

by pompeypearly



Series: The Lines [2]
Category: Smallville
Genre: F/M, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-13
Updated: 2015-11-13
Packaged: 2018-05-01 11:29:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5204105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pompeypearly/pseuds/pompeypearly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Read Between the Lines. Bruce Wayne believes in equality and justice. Oliver is about to find that out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blurring the Lines

Chloe tapped her pen against the desk impatiently. She was sat dressed in a pretty black dress had been expecting the handsome billionaire to grace her with his presence for the past half hour. Apparently private jets still did not guarantee punctuality.

A knock on the open door of Watchtower brought her out of her thoughts. No one ever knocked, not even when she asked them to.

She couldn’t believe her eyes. “Bruce!” She sprang to her feet and met him halfway across the room to give him a welcoming hug. “I didn’t expect to see you for another four days. Is everything okay?”

“Everything is perfectly fine. I had the opportunity to delegate some business to my executives so I thought I would take the opportunity to drop by and finalise a few things with you. If that’s okay?”

Her cell phone buzzed with a message. Oliver had had to divert his flight to Metropolis on urgent business for Queen Industries and apologised for leaving her on such short notice. There were also promises made that made her both blush and grin in anticipation for when he finally did arrive home.

“Uh, sure Bruce. It‘s no problem at all.” It wasn’t as if she had any other plans for tonight now that Oliver was unable to make it.  
Since Chloe’s visit to Gotham, Bruce had agreed to work with the JLA as a consultant. He wasn’t quite ready to join the league full time but wanted to be involved in the work they were doing, especially as Gotham seemed to be attracting more than its fair share of trouble. He promised that the next time they met up they would put their heads together to iron out the details.

“So where’s Queen?”

“He had to leave town on business.” Chloe tried not to sound too disappointed. She knew that leading a double life was time consuming and that sacrifices to their personal life often had to be made. Although, it didn’t mean she had to acknowledge she liked it.

He looked over the outfit she was wearing. “I’m surprised that he isn’t here whisking you out for the evening. He certainly didn’t hesitate last month.” The implication wasn’t lost on Chloe.

“About that. I am really sorry about what happened the other week Bruce. Things between Oliver and I have been…complicated. I don’t want you to feel that I mislead you, it was never my intention-”

Bruce interrupted her before she could dig herself any further into a hole. “Believe me, I have no ill will towards you Chloe. In fact, let me show you. How about I take you out for something to eat while we work out a more concrete plan of how things can work between me and your league.”

Chloe bit her lower lip as she thought about it.

“Just two friends discussing business over dinner. I’m sure that even Oliver would see no problem with that. Who better to make sure you avoid stumbling into trouble while he is out of the area?”

It was as if he had read her mind. Oliver would understand that this was just league business, and she couldn’t be any safer than with Batman by her side.

“Sure, just let me grab my coat.”

“Great.” He said as she walked over to her coat and began to put it on. She was mildly surprised when he took it from her and helped her put her arms into the sleeves. “I know of a great little Italian not far from here.”

“Then lead the way Mr Wayne.” She smiled as he escorted her from the building.

 

\--------------------------

They had fallen easily into conversation as they ate their meal. Chloe had been scared that things would be awkward between them, but Bruce was a man of his word. She honestly enjoyed his company, and she was sure that he felt the same. It was nice to be able to see heroes off the clock. It re-enforced that there really were people behind the masks.

Before she had spent any real time with him she had always believed that the man behind Batman had to be tightly wound, to stoic. While there were similarities between Batman and Bruce Wayne, she found the latter much more charming and relaxed. She wondered how much of it really was an act.

Bruce had, after little persuasion, convinced Chloe to order dessert. She allowed him to pick for her and was thankful she had as her phone began to ring as the waiter approached to take their order.

She pressed the answer button and put the phone to her ear.

“Is he there?”

“Hello to you too, Oliver.” She replied, slightly caught off guard by his abruptness.

“Is he there?!” He repeated.

“Who?”

“Wayne!”

“Yeah.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “How did you -?”

“It was him.”

“Run the part past me where I actually know what you’re talking about?”

“The reason I had to fly out to Star City at a moment’s notice. Wayne Industries are trying to make a surprise buyout of the Star City Towers from under Queen Industries. And that flying rodent was supposed to be here personally but is suspiciously unavailable!”

“And you automatically thought he was here?”

“I was right wasn’t I? Just…” He seemed to take a calming breath on the other end before taking a long pause. “Where are you Chloe?”

“Just out.”

“Out where?”

“You know you sound like my dad right about now.”

“Chloe…” His voice lacked its normal patience.

“I’m just out grabbing something to eat. You know, because I’m hungry after waiting around for an hour to go to dinner with my boyfriend who stood me up.” His attitude had provoked the pettiness within.

“So you’re out to dinner with Wayne, the very man who is the cause of my absence?” He took another couple of calming breaths before speaking in a tight voice. “Put him on the phone Chloe.”

“Do you really think that is a good idea? You don‘t sound like the controlled CEO we all know you to be.”

If Oliver blew up at Bruce now there was a good chance she could kiss his partnership with the JLA goodbye.

She looked up at Bruce to mouth an apology but the look on his face halted the words from coming out of her mouth. Bruce was grinning and indicating that he wanted to speak on the phone.

She should have figured it out sooner. The moment he appeared at Watchtower and Oliver cancelled, she should have known. Chloe passed him the phone and waited to see if sparks would literally fly. Part of her was glad that Oliver wasn’t actually in the room - things were ugly enough when he clashed horns with Hawkman. She didn’t believe a confrontation between these two would be any better.

“Queen! How are things in Star City?” Bruce asked with a smile on his face.

Chloe could hear a raised voice bellowing on the other side of the phone. She inwardly cringed and took a large swig of her wine. She found hearing only one side of a conversation incredibly frustrating.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I couldn’t be there in person but there was a personal matter I had to attend to here in Metropolis. I’m sure you of all people can understand the duality of the lives we lead.”

There was more shouting on the other end of the phone. Chloe could feel the blush creeping up her face so she picked up the bottle of wine and poured herself another glass. She had a feeling she would be hearing all about this conversation when Oliver returned.

“There is nothing wrong with me taking this wonderful woman out for dinner, especially as she was sat at home alone looking beautiful with nowhere to go. I am a gentleman after all and I am looking out Ms Sullivan here- beauty like hers should not be locked away in a tower. I assure you I will take very good care of her in your absence.”

Chloe choked on her wine. She knew Bruce was goading Oliver, but the sexual implications in that comment was too obvious to ignore.  
“Bruce, give me the phone.” She demanded. She wouldn’t just be hearing about this conversation from Oliver, he was going to be near on impossible when he returned.

Bruce held a finger up to her, asking her for one more moment. She buried her head in her hands, hoping the ground would swallow her whole. How did she get involved in this pissing contest?

“Now Oliver, is that really the kind of language you should be using to potential business partners? I really can’t see what you are angry about…I’ll tell you what, I’m going to end this conversation here and I am going to escort Chloe home. Goodnight Queen!” Bruce turned off the phone and handed it back to its owner.

“Okay, now is the time you start explaining yourself and hopefully apologise for acting like an ass!”

“I told you I have no ill will against you Chloe. I was merely reminding your charming boyfriend that I do not take kindly to underhanded tactics.”

“So you staged a takeover of the Star City towers just to get back at Oliver for stealing your date?”

“No, I did it because he interrupted my date with you. And he hardly played fair.” Bruce smiled as he drank his wine “If it helps I don’t think he will be standing you up again in the near future.”

“He is going to be impossible to be around after this, you know that right?” Chloe said leaning back in her chair.

“If you mean by impossible that he will be showering you with attention in fear of losing you to other charming, interested parties, I think you may be right!” He lent forward and took her hand before stage whispering “In fact, I would bet a large portion of my bank balance that Queen is currently jumping on his plane and heading back now.”

“Are you two going to be able to work together after this?” She really didn’t want to be the reason that the JLA lost a valuable ally.

“I feel satisfied that I could work with your team. I’ve made my point to Queen and had the added bonus of spending some quality time with the infamous, and beautiful, Watchtower.”

“You’re really spreading the charm on thick here. Is that guilt I‘m detecting.”

“Maybe.” He admitted to her as he smiled apologetically. “How I make it up to you by getting dessert to go and getting you safely back home before Oliver sends in the troops.”

“Don’t tell me you’re scared.”

“Hardly. But I am trying to act the gentleman.”

Chloe smirked. “Okay, you have me convinced. Better to get out of here before Oliver has Clark barging in here to defend my honour.”

“I’m not sure Oliver’s ego would allow for that.”

“You know that if you had really thought this through, you could have brought me in on this. It wasn’t just you who was embarrassed back in Gotham.”

Bruce laughed as he escorted her from the restaurant. Within the space of a month she had been wooed by two superheroes and embarrassed by just as many. She just hoped that these men knew that they were lucky she was not one for revenge herself or they would both be in for a world full of pain.


End file.
